Process for the treatment of articles made of magnesium or high percentage magnesiumalloys



Patented Sept. 6; 1932 i 1 1,815,131

UNITED STATES PATENroFFicE ADOLF'BECK, OI IBITTEBFELP, AND HUGO DIBELKA, OF DUSSELDORF-OBEBKASSEL, GER- MANY, ASSIGNOBS, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO MAGNESIUM IDEVEIJOPIBII'EIISFI COB- POBATION, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE PROCESS FOR THE TREATMENT OF ARTICLES MADE OI MAGNTISIUM QR HIGH FEB- CENTAGE MAGNESIUM ALLOYS y in Drawing. Application filed my 20, 1929, Serial m. manna ii Germany m 25, 1928'.

This invention -relates to a rocess for improving the resistance to corrosion of magnesium and magnesium alloys. It is well known that a large number'of 1i uidsv including water exercise a corrodin influence onmagnesium and its alloys an it is an object ofour present invention to lessen or even completely inhibit this corrosive ac- ,tion soas to enable articles made of said Li'netals to be employed for various purposes ffrom which they were: hitherto precluded owing to their liability to corrode.

We have ascertained that in certain cases in which the surface of articles consisting I: mainly of magnesium comes into contact with a corroding liquid such as water, only temporarily, during their employment, a special treatment as was hitherto generally applied with the object of forming a protective coating for preventing corrosion on the metal can be dispensed with. This also applies even if the water has not the same degree of purity as distilled water. We have discovered that it is ,merely necessary to add I to the water coming into contact with the articles during their em loyment a small percentage, approximate y 1%, of a soluble dichromate, preferably dichromate of potassium. v r

a A particular instance of this kind is the treatment of sheets of magnesium alloys in the wetting appliance. of ofiset printingmw chines, thou h we wish it to be understood that the app icability of our invention is, by

5 no means, hmited to this purpose. r

, 1. T e process for preventing the corrosive action of water on magnesium or magnesium ,alloys which comprises adding th the water 0 a small amount, approifimating 1%, of a water soluble vdichromalte.

. 2. Theprocess as defined in claim 1 wherein the water soluble dichromate is potassium dichromate. f 1

5 In testimony wl iereof we have hereunto ,set our hands. v

- ADOLF BECK. I

' HUGO DIBELKA, 

